Remember When
by Super Nova2
Summary: After five years apart, do Harry and Hermione still have feelings for each other? H/Hr (obviously), and slight R/L. *FINAL CH IS NOW UP!*
1. Moving On

Hermione warily looked up at the small clock on her desk. It was five o'clock; time to go home. She carefully stacked all of the papers on her neat and orderly desk, stood, and disapperated from her large office to her flat. Hermione sighed, glad to be home. She loved her job, but it was very hard sometimes, and it felt great to just come home and relax every evening.  
  
Hermione went to her window and brought in the copy of The Daily Prophet that the News Owls had dropped off earlier that day. She sat in a comfortable chair and looked down at the front page. It pleased her to see a picture of her best friend from school, Harry Potter, on the front page. She wished that she had kept in touch with Harry and Ron after graduation, but everyone suddenly became so busy as they got new jobs.  
  
Hermione smiled down at the picture of Harry, which was zooming around the page on a brand new FireStar broom. Under the picture was the headline: Potter Chosen As Seeker for Quidditch Cup. She really did miss him. At Hogwarts she thought that she, Harry, and Ron would remain best friends their entire lives, and here she was, twenty-two years old and she had hardly spoken to either boy since Hogwarts. It wasn't entirely Hermione's fault, though. After school had ended, the three got very time-consuming jobs. Harry was playing Quidditch professionally, Ron was a chief editor of the Daily Prophet, and Hermione now held an important position at the Ministry of Magic.  
  
Hermione felt a pang of loneliness. Though she would never admit it, she still had a bit of a crush on Harry. She wished she didn't, she had hardly spoken to him in five years. 'How pathetic,' she thought, 'still in love with someone I haven't seen since school.' Hermione slowly shook her head, suddenly feeling very tired. She stood and went to bed without even bothering to read the rest of the paper.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry Potter had just finished a grueling Quidditch practice and was exhausted. He threw himself down on the couch in his flat, ready to take a nice long nap. Suddenly the door opened. Harry winced as he heard a female voice call his name. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her now, he just wanted to sleep! Why did she always choose the most inopportune times to come over?  
  
Padma Patil came into the room, smiling brightly. "Have a hard practice?" she asked sympathetically.  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
Padma pushed Harry's legs off the couch and sat down. "Well, I was just in the neighborhood and I decided to stop by," she said.  
  
Harry wished she hadn't decided to stop by, which is a horrible thing to think about your girlfriend, but she had the worst habit of coming over and trying to get Harry to go out to eat or to the theater when he was the most worn out, and it was very irritating. It seemed like all she wanted to do was show him off, and Harry hoped to God that this wasn't true.  
  
"There's a new play in town that looks really good," Padma said, looking at Harry.  
  
"Mmmm."  
  
"I have tickets. Would you like to see it?"  
  
"I don't know, I'm really tired."  
  
"Well, I already bought the tickets! I don't want to waste my money, Harry."  
  
She looked beautiful when she was stubborn, Harry noticed.  
  
"Fine, I'll go," he muttered. He was so whipped. He slowly stood up and went to take a shower and put on some nice clothes. Then he went back to the living room and sat on the couch, hoping he wouldn't fall asleep during the play. If he fell asleep, Padma would be furious.  
  
While he was waiting for Padma to finish touching up her make-up, he picked up a copy of The Daily Prophet and began to read. He winced, seeing himself on the front page; he hated having so much publicity. He lazily flipped through the rest of the paper, but then something caught his eye. It was an article about Hermione and her job at the Ministry of Magic.  
  
Harry wished that he had been a better friend and stayed in touch with Hermione and Ron, but as soon as they finished at Hogwarts, everything began to happen so fast. He wondered what Hermione was doing now, aside from her job. He wondered if she had a boyfriend, he hoped not. Then he inwardly chastised himself for thinking such thoughts about Hermione. What had happened between them at Hogwarts was over, and his girlfriend was now Padma, so he should just get over Hermione. But that might not be as easy as he'd hoped.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
How was it? If I continue with this fic, it may be a while before I update because I've got a lot to do, plus I'm in the middle of writing about six fics at once. I don't know. Anyway, review if you want me to continue or if you have any other input. Thanx!  
  
~Super Nova~ 


	2. An Evening of Theatre

Chapter Two  
  
"Ready?" Padma asked impatiently.  
  
Harry looked up. She was wearing a sexy red dress. "I thought we'd stop by s nice restaurant after the show," Padma said.  
  
Harry didn't want to stop by a fancy restaurant, but Padma looked as though she might hit him if he said no.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione lay back in her recliner reading a good book. She was in her pajamas, which consisted of baggy sweatpants and a large T-shirt.  
  
She started as she heard someone pounding on her door. She opened the door and found herself face to face with one of her co-workers, Susan Bones.  
  
"What's wrong, Susan?" Hermione asked, concerned.  
  
"Nothing. It's just that, I was going to take my boyfriend to that new play that's in town tonight, but his mother got sick so he went to stay with her for a while until she got better. Now I have this extra ticket, and I know it's really short notice, but I wondered if you would want to go with me."  
  
Hermione didn't really feel like going out, but maybe spending some time out of her flat would make her feel a little better.  
  
"Okay, come in, I'll go get ready," she said.  
  
Hermione hurried into her bathroom where she ran a brush through her still bushy hair and put on a very minimal amount of make-up. Then she ran to her bedroom and threw on the only nice dress she owned.  
  
Then she and Susan apparated to the play. They easily found their seats, and Hermione began looking at the program.  
  
"Oooh, Harry Potter!" Susan squealed.  
  
Hermione's heart stopped as she heard this. She looked over, and sure enough, sitting on the other side of Susan was Harry.  
  
"Wow, I haven't seen you since we left Hogwarts," Susan said. "So what have you been up to lately, Harry? I mean, I know you've been playing professional Quidditch. You know, I've got a job at the Ministry of Magic. . ." Susan rambled on and on, but truthfully, Harry didn't hear a word of it; he was too busy staring at the girl next to Susan. Hermione looked beautiful and classy in her long elegant black dress, not like Padma, who insisted on wearing her short low cut red dress and several layers of make- up.  
  
Hermione glanced up at Harry, but quickly returned her gaze to her program when she saw that Harry was looking at her; she didn't want to be caught staring at him after all. But apparently he didn't mind being caught staring at her.  
  
"Hermione," he said, trying to draw her attention.  
  
Hermione casually looked up. "Oh, hi Harry! Imagine seeing you here. It's been some time hasn't it?" she said, trying to sound nonchalant and classy at the same time. She wasn't sure that she had succeeded.  
  
"It certainly has," Harry said, trying not to sound as wistful as he felt.  
  
Hermione wished that Susan would move so that they didn't have to talk across her.  
  
"So, how are things?" Hermione said lamely.  
  
"Good. Quidditch is hard; it's a lot of work. Very tiring. So how's your job at the Ministry of Magic?"  
  
"It's tiring, too," Hermione said.  
  
"I work at the Ministry of Magic, too," said Susan, trying to enter the conversation.  
  
Harry was dying to know if Hermione had a boyfriend. He didn't know why he cared so much; it wasn't as though he was still in love with her. Was he? He'd thought that after five years he had begun to move on, but seeing Hermione's face suddenly brought back strangely familiar feelings.  
  
"Hermione, would you like to switch seats with me so you can talk to Harry?" Susan asked, finally giving up on getting Harry's attention.  
  
"Okay," Hermione said, trying to sound casual. The two switched seats, as Harry smiled. Hermione looked so cute.  
  
They talked for a few more minutes, catching up on each other's lives (Harry still hadn't gotten around to asking whether or not Hermione had a boyfriend, though) and reminiscing about old times. Then Padma came back from the restroom and Harry's attention was focused on her. Luckily, the theatre went dark and Harry couldn't see Hermione's disappointed, rejected face.  
  
At intermission, Hermione hurried to the beverage stand and bought a bottle of mineral water. She couldn't believe she had run into Harry. She couldn't believe he had a girlfriend. Why would Harry go out with Padma? She may have been beautiful, but she wasn't very nice at all. Maybe that was what Harry was after, looks. Maybe that was why he had broken up with her five years ago. 


	3. Reminiscing

Chapter Three  
  
"Hermione," Harry said. He had followed her into the lobby at intermission. He didn't know what was going on in his head, but he knew that he couldn't let her go. He didn't wasn't to risk not seeing her for another five years, or maybe even longer.  
  
Hermione turned, hearing Harry's voice. "Yes?" she said.  
  
Harry had a sudden urge to tell Hermione he loved her, which he ignored. Instead he said, "I was just thinking, we really should spend more time together. We had such a good friendship, and I don't want to lose that."  
  
Hermione was suddenly compelled to throw her arms around Harry and yell, "I couldn't agree more!" Instead, she calmly said, "Actually, I was thinking the same thing."  
  
Harry smiled that sweet smile Hermione had always loved. "I wish I knew where Ron lives, I'd like to have us all together again."  
  
Hermione nodded. "You're going out with Padma Patil aren't you?" she asked, trying to sound less depressed at this thought than she felt.  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Does Parvati still talk to Lavender Brown?" Hermione continued.  
  
"I think so."  
  
"Maybe you could ask Padma to ask Parvati where Lavender and Ron are living," Hermione suggested.  
  
"That's a good idea," Harry said. It would be nice to see Ron again.  
  
Hermione gave Harry her address so he could send an owl when he wanted to get together.  
  
Hermione went home happy. She was disappointed to see that Harry had a girlfriend, especially a girlfriend like Padma Patil, but she was glad to hear that Harry still wanted to keep in touch.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry reluctantly went to dinner with Padma, who talked about herself, her friends, her job at Gringotts, and her family the entire time. She ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, as usual, and expected Harry to pay. Harry was used to this behavior, but still tired of it. He seriously considered breaking up with Padma on the spot, but decided not to. He wondered if he was falling back in love with Hermione. No, he was sure he wasn't, that would be too strange.  
  
"So anyway, that Hufflepuff girl, Hannah Abbot, I think her name was, came into Gringotts the other day and-what's wrong?"  
  
Harry started out of his daze. "Nothing," he said.  
  
"Good," said Padma," so anyway, that Abbot girl comes into Gringotts and starts talking about God knows what, and talking about herself and her job like we're old friends from school or something. Isn't that funny? As if I ever would have talked to her at school! Anyway, you should have seen what she was wearing. She still dresses horribly, even worse than that friend of yours we saw tonight. Hermione Granger, talk about frumpy!"  
  
Harry pretended he didn't hear this. Couldn't Padma at least have a little respect for his friends?  
  
Padma looked at her expensive gold watch and gasped. "Ooh Harry, I have to go, I'm going to a muggle dance club with Parvati and some friends. It should be loads of fun! Want to come?"  
  
"No, I'm tired, I think I'll just go home," Harry said.  
  
Padma was relieved that Harry wasn't coming. She could dance (and hopefully do a little more) with whomever she pleased if Harry wasn't there.  
  
"Good night, Harry," She said giving him a quick, cold kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Wait, one thing before you disapperate, Padma," Harry said.  
  
"What is it?" Padma said, sounding slightly impatient.  
  
"Could you by any chance ask Parvati where Lavender and Ron are living? I'd really like to talk to Ron."  
  
Padma looked disapprovingly at Harry. She had never liked Ron. Especially since the Yule Ball their fourth year. "I'll see what I can do," she said before disapperating to the flat she shared with her sister, to get ready to go clubbing.  
  
* * *  
  
Three days later, Hermione received an owl from Harry asking her to meet him at the Three Broomsticks on Saturday at five. Hermione couldn't wait, she was dying to see her two best friends. Especially Harry.  
  
That Saturday, she decided to walk to the Three Broomsticks. Apparating would be faster, but she lived nearby and it was a very nice day.  
  
She walked into the pub promptly at five. Harry and Ron hadn't arrived yet, so she sat at a table toward the back to wait. She took out a book to read while she waited.  
  
"Hermione Granger, you haven't changed a bit. You have your nose stuck in a book, just like you always did," came a familiar teasing tone.  
  
Hermione looked up to find Ron. He looked exactly as he had in their seventh year.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione said smiling, "it's so great to see you again!" and it was. Seeing Ron's face reminded her of the fun times the trio had shared during their school days.  
  
Harry showed up just as Ron sat down across from Hermione.  
  
"Hi," he said grinning broadly as he took a seat at their table.  
  
The three ordered drinks (butterbeers to honor the old days) and began to catch up on each other's lives.  
  
"So Ron, Padma says that you and Lavender are getting married," Harry said.  
  
Ron smiled, saying, "Yeah, this November."  
  
Ron and Lavender started dating in their sixth year, and had moved into a flat together after they graduated.  
  
"Congratulations," Hermione said, happy for her friend. She hoped Harry didn't have the same announcement to make about himself and Padma.  
  
"November's not too far off," Harry said.  
  
"I know, there's a lot to do before then," Ron said, taking a drink of his butterbeer, which had just arrived. "So what's new in your life, Hermione?" he asked, putting his glass down.  
  
"Not much. I'm very busy with work at the moment."  
  
"You haven't changed at all," Harry teased.  
  
"What about you Harry?" Ron asked, "How are things with you and Padma?"  
  
Harry shrugged, "They're okay. Not too serious right now," he said. He wouldn't dare tell them that he suspected Padma of using him.  
  
Hermione was glad things weren't too serious between Harry and Padma. She wondered why she was suddenly so obsessed with Harry and his personal life. Things between them were over, and she just needed to accept that.  
  
* * *  
  
The following Monday, Hermione came home from work in much better spirits than usual; she was still happy that she had gotten to talk with Harry and Ron.  
  
When she arrived home, there was mail on the windowsill waiting to be opened. She absently sifted through bills and junk mail, but then something caught her eye. It was a small formal-looking white envelope. She carefully tore it open and pulled out a very delicate fancy piece of parchment. She smiled as she read the elegant script. She was invited to Ron's wedding.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I've been putting these up pretty fast, but the next chapter may take a little while, sorry.  
  
And I'd just like to give my sincerest thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic so far. And keep them coming! 


	4. Sad Memories

Chapter Four  
  
Lately Hermione couldn't stop thinking about Harry, and she didn't know why. She knew that they could never again have what they once had, so why was she suddenly so interested in him? Hermione thought back to her school days. Of course, she had more than forgiven Harry, but it hurt to think about what happened, just the same. She knew that she had work to do, but she uncharacteristically began to let her mind drift.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hermione looked at her boyfriend of six months, and she couldn't help but feel love for him welling up in her chest. It was their last week of school before they would enter the "real world". She had a feeling that she and Harry would be together forever, though she had her doubts. Hermione was afraid that they might go different directions after school. She loved Harry very much, but she wasn't so sure that he loved her; he had never told her so. But then again, she had never told Harry she loved him, either. Hermione looked up into those beautiful jade eyes and felt her heart melt. She wanted to be with him forever.  
  
Harry looked into the warm chestnut eyes of the girl he loved. He was about to do the hardest thing he would probably ever have to do: he was going to break up with Hermione. Losing Hermione was the last thing he wanted to do, but he was afraid. What he really wanted to do was propose, but he knew that Hermione was never one to rush into things, and he was terrified that she'd say no. He never wanted to lose her, but he was afraid that it just wouldn't work. He desperately wanted Hermione as his wife, but fear held him back.  
  
Harry sighed, feeling horrible for what he was about to do. Hermione looked so beautiful, and so loving. He hated himself for doing this. He took a deep breath and said, "Hermione, I think we should stop seeing each other. I really don't want to do this, but I'm afraid that we'll just be going different directions after Hogwarts." That sounded even harsher and crueler than he had expected.  
  
Hermione could hardly comprehend the words that Harry had said. She felt tears welling up end her eyes, and she fought a losing battle to keep them back. She understood why Harry was breaking up with her, but that didn't stop it from hurting. Heartbroken, she managed to say, "I understand, Harry."  
  
Harry felt horrible. He gently wiped a tear from her eye, whispering, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't feel bad, Harry. This was inevitable," Hermione said softly. She knew in her heart that things would never work out between them after Hogwarts, but she had always clung to the little sliver of hope she had. Now that hope was shattered. She wasn't exactly angry with Harry, it wasn't all his fault, but she couldn't keep the disappointment and grief from welling up inside of her.  
  
That last week of school was practically torture; it was very awkward for Harry and Hermione. They tried to act normally toward each other, but they couldn't mask their insecurities. Ron awkwardly tried to keep up conversations with his two friends, but didn't succeed. Their friendship didn't end on a bad note, though; on the train ride home on the last day of school, they opened up and began to act more like friends again. Sadly, they would hardly see each other at all over the next five years.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Thinking about this period in her life almost brought Hermione to tears all over again. She knew that she was still in love with Harry, and there was no point in denying it anymore. Of course she wasn't going to act on it, she and Harry had both grown up and she was sure that Harry no longer harbored feelings for her. She knew that she needed to move on; she was acting so childishly, but at the same time she knew she couldn't move on.  
  
She looked at her desk clock, which read 10:15 AM. It was going to be a long day.  
  
* * *  
  
After work Hermione decided that she needed to go shopping; she needed to buy Ron and Lavender a wedding present and she direly needed new dress robes for the wedding.  
  
Hermione hated to admit it, but she didn't have very many friends. She had grown less uptight over the years, but work was still the most important thing in her life. She and Susan talked occasionally, but they weren't really friends; Susan normally found Hermione to be a little dull and Hermione thought Susan was a little too bubbly, which got on her nerves. Hermione had been friends with Ginny Weasley at Hogwarts, but when Ginny began flirting with Harry while he was going out with Hermione, the two girls had had a terrible fight and their friendship had ended.  
  
Normally not having any girl friends didn't bother Hermione, but at times like this, when she needed to go shopping, Hermione really wished she had someone to help her. Hermione had never much liked shopping, nor had she ever had the remotest interest in fashion, so she had no idea what was in style and what wasn't.  
  
Hermione went to downtown Hogsmeade and randomly selected a clothing store.  
  
  
  
"May I help you?" a store employee asked Hermione, carefully taking in the girl's shabby, out of style robes.  
  
"Yes, I need a nice set of dress robes," Hermione stated matter-of -factly, fully aware that the clerk was looking at her in a rather patronizing way.  
  
Hermione spent a great deal of time at the store before selecting a set of fairly plain but pretty robes in a pale blue-green color.  
  
She bought an elegant (and fairly expensive) photo album for Ron and Lavender's wedding present. She hurried home and opened the box of photographs that she had stored in the back of her bedroom closet.  
  
She sifted through the pictures, memories of her days at Hogwarts running through her mind. 'Now is not the time to daydream and to reminisce' she chastised herself. Then she quickly found all of the pictures she had of Ron and Lavender together and put them in the new photo album.  
  
Later, she wrapped up the gift and sent it by Owl Post to Ron and Lavender's address. She was excited about the wedding; it isn't every day one's best friend gets married. As she thought more about weddings and happiness, she grew felt sadness and loneliness grow inside her. Hermione looked sullenly out the window. She couldn't help but wonder, would she ever get married? Harry was her first real boyfriend, and he had also been her last. It seemed that men just weren't interested in her. She couldn't help but wonder if anything was wrong with her. She felt the familiar prick of tears behind her eyes as she slowly stood and went to bed. 


	5. The Wedding

Oops. . . I've been forgetting to put up disclaimers. . . .Oh well. I don't own any of the characters I am using in this story. This disclaimer goes for any other chapter of this fic that I forgot to disclaim (is that a word? It seems really weird, but it's not showing up on spell check, so it must be a word.).  
  
  
  
Chapter Five  
  
  
  
November fifth. The day of the wedding. Lavender had forbidden Ron to have a bachelor party, so he had of course had one and he was suffering the consequences. Somehow Parvati found out (she always found the best gossip) and told Lavender. Lavender was upset, but she refused to get too angry, this was supposed to be the best day of her life and damned if she wasn't going to enjoy it. She certainly wasn't going to ruin it by getting into a fight with Ron. She began to wonder if the wedding was as important to him as it was to her. If it was that important to him he wouldn't have gotten drunk the night before, though would he? He wouldn't want a hangover for something that was very important to him. Lavender began to seriously doubt the idea of having the wedding. She did want to be sure she really wanted to marry him; she didn't want to end up like that Pansy Parkinson girl, only twenty-two and already on her second divorce.  
  
She and Ron had been living together for five years though, so it wasn't like she was jumping into anything. Lavender knew that Ron loved her, and she was willing to forgive him for having a bachelor party and having a hangover.  
  
* * *  
  
"Have some coffee, Ron," Harry said shoving a large mug of black coffee toward his friend.  
  
"I hate coffee," Ron groaned.  
  
"Just drink it," said Fred.  
  
Ron reluctantly began to sip his coffee.  
  
All of the men participating in the wedding were at the Burrow getting ready for the wedding. Ron looked around at the friendly, familiar faces. Harry was his best man, and all of his brothers, plus Lavender's younger brother, were groomsmen. Originally Ron and Lavender had planned for a small wedding, with only three friends each being part of the wedding, but Ron couldn't decided which three brothers he wanted in the wedding, and Lavender couldn't decide on just three friends, so they changed it to six groomsmen, six bridesmaids, the maid of honor, and the best man.  
  
The guys lounged around the Burrow waiting until the very last minute to put on their uncomfortable tuxes and their pinching shoes.  
  
* * *  
  
The girls ran around hurriedly, trying to help Lavender and get ready themselves at the same time. "Lav, this wedding dress is gorgeous," Parvati said running her fingers along the soft material piled on a chair.  
  
"The only problem is, I can't figure out how to put it on," muttered Lavender.  
  
Much to Mrs. Weasley's dismay, Ron and Lavender had decided to have a fully Muggle wedding ceremony. Lavender was inviting several Muggle friends and she didn't want them to feel out of place. Ron had easily complied, he didn't really have much input on the ceremony anyway.  
  
"Don't talk Lavender, Honey, you'll make me mess up your make-up," said Lavender's mother, who was carefully outlining her daughter's lips with lip liner.  
  
"Lavender, I don't think I like these bridesmaid dresses," Padma Patil complained. "They're kind of plain."  
  
Hermione didn't say anything, but she liked the dresses. They obviously weren't Padma's taste, as they weren't short and low cut.  
  
Hermione was surprised that she was going to be part of the ceremony; Ron had sent an owl three days prior to the wedding stating that he had talked Lavender into letting her be part of the wedding. It turned out that Lavender decided that she wanted her brother to be a groomsman, and she wanted the number of groomsmen and the number of bridesmaids to be the same, so Hermione was asked on rather short notice. She was glad to be part of her friend's big day, so she had readily agreed. Of course Padma didn't like the idea of Hermione being in the wedding, the two had never gotten along But Lavender didn't mind, she and Hermione were never friends, but they had always gotten along.  
  
The atmosphere in Lavender's apartment was growing more and more hectic as the time of the wedding grew closer.  
  
Lavender was worrying because she couldn't find her left shoe, Parvati was frantic because her carefully styled hair was beginning to come down, One of Lavender's Muggle friends was hysterical because she had a run in her stockings, and Padma was worried that her make-up was too light and wouldn't show up in the wedding photos. Padma's make-up was anything but light, and Hermione thought that Padma resembled a clown, but kept her opinion silent.  
  
Lavender's mother took care of everything; she used a locating charm to find the missing shoe, fixed Parvati's hair with a quick spell, transfigured a sock into a new pair of stockings for Lavender's friend, and assured Padma that her make-up looked fine. Hermione hoped that her parents wouldn't have to go through such a stressful experience when she got married. If she would ever find a guy who loved her enough to marry her. 'Chances of that don't seem very good,' Hermione thought miserably, 'I'll probably never get married.'  
  
* * *  
  
"Alright, I think it's time we start to get ready," Percy said sounding slightly agitated, "we don't want Ron to be late for his wedding."  
  
"Relax Percy, we've got plenty of time," said Fred.  
  
Percy glanced at Ron and saw that he had fallen asleep. "Ron!" he said sharply.  
  
Ron's head snapped up. "What?" he asked dazedly.  
  
"It's time to start getting ready for your wedding."  
  
"Right," Ron said struggling not to fall back to sleep. His head was throbbing.  
  
The rest of the guys reluctantly stood up and went off to find their tuxes.  
  
* * *  
  
A few hours later Hermione found herself in the back of a large church with, Parvati, Padma, and three of Lavender's Muggle friends. Lavender was nowhere to be seen (she was a firm believer that the bride and groom should not see each other before the wedding). A few minutes later, the doors opened and the Weasleys boys, Harry, and Lavender's brother entered the church and got into line.  
  
Harry cast a sideways glance at Hermione. She was beautiful, there was no other word to describe her. Her hair was styled the exact same way as the other bridesmaids, and she wore the same dress as the others, but there was something that made her stand out among the others. Harry knew he shouldn't be thinking these things about Hermione. After all, it was his fault they weren't together anymore. He wished he'd taken the chance and stayed with her.  
  
Harry glanced over at Padma and winced. She looked horrible, with more layers of makeup caked on her face than usual. Harry wasn't quite sure what he had ever seen in Padma.  
  
"Alright, it's time to walk," the wedding director said to Harry and Parvati, who were at the front of the lines.  
  
* * *  
  
After the wedding, everyone went to a large banquet hall for the reception. Hermione noticed how cute Ron and Lavender looked together. She was happy for them, in spite of herself.  
  
She sat across from Harry at the long wedding party table. Parvati sat on one side of her, and Charlie Weasley was on the other. Harry toasted Ron and Lavender, and then everyone went to get their food.  
  
When everyone was done eating, they watched Ron and Lavender dance their first dance as a married couple. When their song ended everyone joined them on the floor. Padma stood and went to the dance floor, dragging Harry with her.  
  
Hermione looked up, feeling slightly embarrassed as everyone at the table was asked to dance except for her. A few minutes later someone pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.  
  
Hermione looked up expectantly, only to find Ginny.  
  
"Hi," Hermione said politely.  
  
"Hi," Ginny said. "Look Herm, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about our fight five years ago. It was a stupid fight."  
  
"It was stupid," Hermione said.  
  
Ginny smiled. "Friends again?"  
  
"Friends again," Hermione agreed.  
  
"So why are you sitting here alone? Don't you feel well?"  
  
Hermione shrugged. "Not really," she said.  
  
"I'm sorry," Ginny said sympathetically.  
  
Hermione and Ginny talked for a few more minutes, until a guy Hermione didn't know came over and asked Ginny to dance. Hermione was once again left alone at the table.  
  
She was considering getting up and asking one of the Weasley boys to dance, just so she wouldn't be at the table by herself anymore, when she felt a hand touch her shoulder.  
  
Hermione turned around to find Harry. "Oh, hi Harry," she said, surprised to see him.  
  
"Hi," Harry said, "do you want to dance?"  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I didn't really check this chapter over for punctuation, spelling, and grammar so I'm sorry if there are some grammatical errors. Um, this chapter isn't very good but I just had to include the wedding, I'm a sucker for weddings. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this so far! 


	6. Hidden Emotions

Hermione smiled up at Harry and stood. "Sure. Where's Padma?" she asked.  
  
"Padma went to dance with a few of her guy friends that she knows through Parvati and Lavender," Harry said.  
  
Hermione nodded and walked to the dance floor with Harry. As if on cue, a slow song began to play. Hermione felt a surge of bliss course through her body as Harry put his hands lightly on her waist. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be in Harry's arms; she felt warm and safe and secure. She knew it was stupid to feel this way, Harry was only dancing with her because they were friends, and he probably felt sorry for her, sitting at the table alone.  
  
Harry looked into Hermione's beautiful, sparkling eyes. He suddenly felt compelled to do something crazy. He didn't know what, maybe kiss her, or tell her he loved her. He quickly waved these thoughts out of his mind. 'You don't love Hermione anymore,' he assured himself. It's just hormones or something. But he wasn't so sure.  
  
Hermione wished she could stay like this forever. Being in his arms brought back so many wonderful, sweet memories that it was almost painful.  
  
Harry and Hermione didn't even notice when the song had ended; they were too wrapped up in each other. A different, livelier song started up, and then Harry and Hermione realized that they were still holding each other closely. Hermione pulled away, her face glowing scarlet.  
  
Harry was reluctant to see her pull away from him. They stood there, a very brief moment of awkward silence between them before Harry felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find Padma, with a very impatient and annoyed expression on her face.  
  
"Hi, Padma," he said, somewhat disappointed to see her.  
  
Padma gave Hermione a look of detest and began to dance with Harry.  
  
Hermione saw Ron and went over to him.  
  
"Hey, Ron," she said.  
  
"Hermione, you want to dance with me, don't you? You never could keep your hands off me," he joked.  
  
They both smiled, and Hermione suddenly remembered back in their fifth year, when she had gone out with Ron. Hermione had never had anything but platonic feelings for Ron (she of course really loved Harry), but everyone always said what a good couple they would make, and Hermione thought that maybe beneath the bickering they really could be harboring true feelings for each other. Hermione was wrong. They argued more than ever during that one week that they were a couple, and Hermione realized that their disagreements and arguments were just that: disagreements and arguments. Maybe people had thought that they would make a good couple, but both Hermione and Ron found out that those people were wrong. It had put a bit of a strain on their friendship at the time, but once the relationship had been over for a few weeks, things were back to normal.  
  
"I just wanted to tell you good luck," Hermione said to her friend.  
  
"Thanks," Ron said "But I'm kind of disappointed you don't want to dance with me," he with a mock pout.  
  
Hermione grinned and danced a quick dance with Ron. "Good luck," she said again, "and have fun on your honeymoon." She then gave him a quick, friendly kiss on the cheek and walked back to the table. When she was almost at her seat, a drunken guest (one of Lavender and Parvati's friends, no doubt) stumbled into Hermione, spilling wine all over the front of her dress.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl slurred, not sounding the least bit sincere.  
  
Hermione sighed. "That's alright," she muttered. She changed direction and walked to the ladies washroom to see if she could clean off some of the wine before it began to stain. It was not her night at all. She had an enormous headache from all of the happy drunken voices singing along with the music, and she was now covered in wine, and the moment she actually began to have fun, Padma had pulled Harry away from her. She had to put on a happy visage for Ron, though. It was his wedding and she had to be happy for him. She just wished she could be happy for herself.  
  
* * *  
  
"Harry, will come out to the lobby with me?" Padma asked.  
  
"Sure," Harry answered, "Why?"  
  
"I need to talk to you in private," she said, taking his hand and dragging him into the lobby of the building.  
  
"So what do you want to talk about?" Harry asked.  
  
"Are you cheating on me?"  
  
Harry was taken aback. "What are you talking about?" he asked.  
  
"You were dancing with that girl you were friends with in school."  
  
"So? You were dancing with a lot of guys tonight."  
  
"That's not just it," Padma said, sounding aggravated. "I saw the way you two were looking at each other."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry said.  
  
"Don't lie to me, Harry Potter," Padma said icily. "I know there's something going on between you two."  
  
"There's nothing going on between us!" Harry said.  
  
"I know that you used to go out with her. I have no idea why, she's so ugly."  
  
"Padma, she's my friend, okay? Please don't talk about her like that," Harry said, a lot more calmly than he felt.  
  
"Anyway, that's not the point. The point is you used to go out with her. Maybe you've still got some feelings for her."  
  
"Padma, that's not true," Harry lied.  
  
Padma looked at him dubiously and said, "Harry, I don't think I want to go out with you anymore."  
  
Harry was all but thrilled to hear this news. For months he had been trying to figure out how to break up with Padma without hurting her feelings. He had no idea why he had even gone out with her in the first place, she was never a very nice person and he suspected her of using him for his fame. He also had suspicions that she had been cheating him, but he couldn't prove anything.  
  
Harry did his best to look hurt, but he could hardly mask the feeling of relief.  
  
"I guess this is goodbye," Padma said, not sounding very sad or even remotely sympathetic.  
  
"I guess so," Harry said.  
  
Padma examined her fingernails, looking bored. "Bye Harry, it's been fun," she said, not sounding like she meant it at all. Then she turned on her spike heel and went back to the reception hall.  
  
Suddenly one of the doors in the lobby opened.  
  
Harry looked over, to his surprise, saw Hermione.  
  
"Sorry," Hermione muttered, "I was in the washroom and then you came in, and I thought it would be rude to just come in here while you were talking to Padma, so I stayed in there. I accidentally heard what happened Harry. I'm sorry."  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I'm sorry if you don't like cliffhangers, as you can see I use them a lot and I'm very sorry, it's just that I never know where to end a chapter unless I stick in a cliffhanger. I'd love to hear what you thought of this chapter, so please review and tell me! 


	7. Revealed Emotions

Chapter Seven  
  
"I'm so sorry," Hermione repeated softly.  
  
"It's not that bad, Padma and I weren't very close. To tell the truth, I was actually going to break up with her soon."  
  
Hermione wasn't sure she believed him; she knew that Harry and Padma weren't very close, but the idea that Harry would want to break up with a girl as pretty as Padma was ridiculous.  
  
They both stood silently in the vestibule for a moment, before Harry said, "Shall we go back to the reception then?"  
  
Hermione nodded and walked back to the main room with Harry.  
  
They sat alone together at the wedding party table for the remainder of the night. Hermione thoroughly enjoyed herself with Padma gone.  
  
Harry and Hermione talked all night. The more time Harry spent with Hermione, the more he wondered why he had ever let her go. He knew he was falling in love again.  
  
Harry knew what he had to do, but he was nervous. He knew that Hermione had moved on, he knew there was no possible way that she still had feelings for him, but he had to get it out in the open.  
  
"Hermione," Harry began, "I need to talk to you."  
  
"We are talking," Hermione said with a teasing grin.  
  
"I need to talk to you about something serious," Harry said, heart pounding in his chest.  
  
Hermione looked up at him with questioning eyes.  
  
"Harry! Hermione!" a voice yelled, startling them both. They looked up to find Ginny standing in front of them.  
  
"Ron and Lavender are getting ready to leave for their honeymoon, everyone's outside. Don't you want to tell them goodbye?" Ginny said.  
  
Harry and Hermione followed Ginny outside and watched Ron and Lavender get into a large carriage, similar to the Beaxbatons carriage they had seen in their fourth year. They smiled and waved goodbye to the Ron and Lavender as the carriage disappeared.  
  
Guests began to disapperate. "Hermione, I really need to talk to you," Harry said.  
  
  
  
"Well, we can't stay here, it'll be completely deserted soon," Hermione said. "We could go on a walk."  
  
"Okay," Harry said. The two walked for a while. They slowly walked along a sidewalk surrounded by trees. Harry remained silent.  
  
"Harry, wasn't there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Hermione asked.  
  
Harry stopped walking and looked at Hermione. Her face shone in the moonlight, and she looked beautiful. He took a deep, calming breath, and took her hand in his. "Hermione," he began, "I just wanted to tell you that I think I still love you."  
  
Hermione drew in a deep breath, taking his words in. It was as if her dreams had come true, as if her prayers had been answered. Harry still loved her. 'No, he can't possibly still love me,' Hermione told herself. Harry was probably just upset that Padma was gone and was looking for another girl, and Hermione just happened to be there.  
  
Harry looked at Hermione; she seemed upset. "Hermione, are you alright?" he asked.  
  
Hermione nodded. "Harry, you don't know what you're saying," Hermione said, her voice breaking. "You're just looking for a girl to replace Padma."  
  
Harry couldn't believe Hermione would think such a thing. "Hermione, you have to believe me, I never loved Padma. I didn't even really like her. You're the only girl I've ever loved."  
  
"Then why did you break up with me?"  
  
"I was stupid," Harry said. "I was afraid."  
  
Hermione could no longer control the tears pouring down her cheeks. She didn't know what to do or what to say. All she knew was that she needed to be alone to collect her thoughts.  
  
"I have to go," she said softly, and with that, she disapperated.  
  
Hermione apperated to her flat. She lay down on the couch in her living room and felt the hot tears pouring down her face. She didn't know why she was crying. She should be happy; Harry told her he loved her. She was just so afraid of getting hurt again. Hermione knew that she could trust Harry, but she couldn't keep the doubts and worries from surfacing into her mind.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry was left standing alone in the shadows. 'What was that all about?" he wondered. He had hoped that she would say she loved him too, he had expected her to politely say that she was only interested in being friends, but she had just left with no real explanation. Harry had no idea what this meant. Was she offended? Had he just taken her by surprise? Was she afraid to hurt his feelings by telling him she didn't feel the same way? Harry's curiosity was overwhelming. He decided to wait a day, then ask her what was going on.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning Harry sent an owl to Hermione asking her to contact him as soon as she could, but by the next morning she had not answered and Harry was growing impatient. He went to her flat and knocked on her door.  
  
The door slowly opened and Hermione looked out at Harry, surprised to see him. She opened the door wider and said, "Come in."  
  
Harry stepped through Hermione's doorway and glanced around the flat.  
  
Hermione guided him over to the couch in the living room.  
  
  
  
"Hermione, I think we need to talk," Harry said once he was seated. "The other night I told you I loved you and you just left, and I just couldn't stop wondering why you left. I know this may seem forward of me and all, but--"  
  
"It's not forward, you have a right to know," Hermione said. "I'm sorry I left so suddenly. I guess the reason I left was because I was so surprised, and I needed to think."  
  
Harry was relieved to hear this.  
  
Hermione decided that this was as good a time as any to tell Harry how she felt about him. "Harry, to tell the truth one of the reasons I was so surprised was because, well, I still love you too, and I was so surprised to hear that you felt the same way." She felt relieved that she had finally gotten that out.  
  
Harry stared for a brief moment, hoping he had heard her correctly.  
  
"I love you, Harry," Hermione said softly, as though she had read Harry's mind. Hermione moved over on the couch, closer to Harry.  
  
The two slowly leaned in, until their lips met. Harry's hands gently caressed Hermione's waist, as Hermione ran her hands through Harry's hair. Their kisses were slow and passionate, and both Harry and Hermione quickly lost track of time, completely unaware of anything but each other. 


	8. The End

Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.  
  
A/N: Here's the last chapter. I hope you've liked reading this story as much as I've liked writing it (does that sound a little sappy? Sorry).  
  
I'm sorry, but this chapter is a little short. I'm also sorry if it's not very good and ruins the story, but I couldn't help but put it in. Anyway, read it and please tell me what you think of this chapter, or the story in general.\  
  
IMPORTANT: Now, I know there were some complaints about what I did with the ending. If you didn't get my revised author's note, I just wanted to explain what's going on. I put up one ending for this story, and left it up long enough for a few people to read it. A few days later, I decided that the chapter was not very well written, so I replaced it with an author's note saying I was changing it. If you were annoyed by this, I just wanted to explain what exactly I did. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, skip this part and read the story. First I'd like to say that Kerbie, thank you for bringing this to my attention. Now I'd like to explain that what I'm actually doing, is putting the exact same ending I had before, I'm just adding on to it. It really is the same thing that was up there before, it just has more content; I really just wanted to make it not so abrupt. If you are still annoyed by this, I'm very very sorry, and please tell me if you want to read the first ending (it was horrible, I'm telling you now), I'll think about posting it as a post script. Or maybe I'll just email it to people who want to read it, but anyway, if you do want to read it, let me know. Whew, that is long! Now on with the new final chapter. . .  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
  
  
Harry awoke the next morning staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. It was then that he remembered the events of the night before. He smiled remember the perfect night he and Hermione had shared. He gently rolled over, and saw Hermione, still asleep, breathing softly. She looked so peaceful and happy, Harry thought. He gently kissed the top of her head and rolled out of her bed. He wanted to do something nice for the woman he loved so much.  
  
Hermione's eyes softly fluttered open. Memories from the night before flooded into her mind, making her smile. She had felt so loved, so important in Harry's arms.  
  
Hermione sat up in bed and looked at the empty spot next to her, surprised not to see Harry. 'Where is he?' she wondered. Maybe he didn't love her after all. If he loved her he would have stayed right? Hermione, feeling angry with herself for being so stupid, climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen.  
  
Harry looked at her from behind her kitchen counter and grinned. "Perfect timing," he said.  
  
Hermione looked around, surprised and humbled at the same time. An enormous breakfast had been spread out on her kitchen table. After years of cooking for the Dursleys, Harry had become quite good in the kitchen.  
  
"Harry, this is so sweet," Hermione said, the loving feeling returning.  
  
"So are you," Harry said, lightly kissing Hermione's forehead.  
  
She smiled and sat down at the table. "Harry, this looks wonderful. You didn't have to do this."  
  
"I wanted to. It's the least I could do for you. I love you so much Hermione."  
  
"I love you too, Harry," Hermione said, gazing into his beautiful eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry and Hermione were the perfect couple. Hermione, who had been rather depressed lately, was truly happy knowing that someone loved her and thought she was beautiful. Harry had been searching too hard for love, finding no one but Padma, and when Hermione came back into his life, he felt complete. Everyone thought they were great together, and this time Hermione believed them; she and Harry were perfect together.  
  
Harry thought so too, which is why he proposed to Hermione on their six month anniversary. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, that's another story entirely. . .  
  
The End.  
  
*~*~*~*~  
  
Please review this if you have read this far, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I appreciate it! I meant for this final chapter to give the story some closure, but just now on the spur of the moment, I have decided to leave it open and write a sequel. Again, I'm sorry for the problems, and if you liked this fic read the sequel (when I've gotten around to writing it, of course; you can't read a story that doesn't exist can you?) Can you believe that my original chapter was shorter than this? I'm really sorry that this is so short, but hey, it was longer than the other chapter I was going to use. Anyway, like I said, if you want to see the original last chapter (it sucked, believe me) please review and tell me. Well, that's about it. And this won't be the last you'll hear from me *laughing evilly* . Anyway, Bye. . .for now. . .  
  
~Super Nova~ 


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